Bit of Ivory

I love random entries, don’t you?

Today is my brother’s (and sister-in-law’s) 5th wedding anniversary. Which is both awesome and CRAZY. It’s gone so fast! We’re babysitting the girls while they go out to dinner. Right now there’s some intense negotiations going on as to whether we’re going to watch “Lulan” (Mulan), which Molly wants, or “The Doggie Show” (101 Dalmations), which Anna wants. Since Anna got to watch Snow White the last time they were here, I think Molly’s going to win. Which is okay with me, because when we watch Mulan Molly sings along. She doesn’t know what half the words mean, but she sings them anyway, and it’s SUPER ADORABLE.

I have a Grumpy plushie that I brought upstairs when we watched Snow White the other night, and Anna does NOT like it. She says it scares her. I told her that I’ll buy a Dopey next time we go to Disneyland. That made her happier.

Which is at the end of February. Our going to Disneyland, that is. The whole fam damnly, including my Grandma By, is going. We’re getting two timeshare units through my brother-in-law’s brother and spending 5 days in the parks. It will be the last use of the Annual Passports that my sister and I bought last March. 4 trips with them, not a bad deal. I’m super excited to share one of my favorite places with my favorite nieces and nephew. The girls meeting the princesses, Thomas meeting Mater and McQueen– it’s going to be so fun. And my dad’s coming, and I’ve wanted to get him on Soarin’ Over California since the minute I rode it. We’re driving down on Saturday, taking Sunday to let the kids recover from the trip, then heading to the parks for the week before driving back the next Saturday. Can’t wait.

I’ve recently been obsessed with sunflower seeds and guyere cheese. Not together, of course. Reduced salt sunflower seeds, still in the shells. Guyere cheese with nice crusty bread. Mmmm.

I’m taking a Wilton fondant and gumpaste class, mostly for my sister, who desperately wanted to take it and couldn’t unless two more people signed up so the class would carry. Tomorrow will be the first time that I actually work with the fondant, and I’m kind of excited. Also nervous, seeing as how I never took the basic Wilton class.

I’ve had my Nook since Dec. 23, and I am LOVING it. The first book I read on it was Pride and Prejudice, of course. Right now I’m working my way through Right Ho, Jeeves, which is, of course, hilarious. I’m loving all the free books I can get for it, and that it doesn’t cause eye strain, and just how gosh darn cool it is. I have named it Tom, and I’ll give House Points to whoever can tell me why.

I’ve been knitting a bit more lately, what with all this free time and all. I’m knitting some fingerless mitts for the Disneyland trip– we bought yarn for each of us ladies who are going and are making the same pattern. I’m doing mine right now, then will knit some for my grandma and mom (since they don’t knit). I also got some yarn to make mini versions for the litle girlies. Hopefully I’ll have enough time to make some for they guys and the little man, too. I’ve got yarn for Thomas already. I’m also planning on doing the Ravelympics– where you cast on for a project during the Olympics opening ceremonies, and cast of during the closing ceremonies. I’ve joined TeamUtah, and the team decided to knit only patterns by Utah designers. So that’s fun.

I also signed up for a mystery Knit-a-Long. The idea is that you sign up, buy yarn, and get a clue every couple of weeks. You knit the clue, then get the next clue, etc., etc., and at the end you have a gorgeous shawl! Except, of course, that you don’t know what you’re going to end up with before you start. This particular shawl is called “Evenstar,” and it’s based, of course, on LotR. I figured what better way to celebrate finishing my LotR thesis than knitting a LotR-themed shawl? With gorgeous silver silk laceweight yarn, of course.

I cleaned my room! Can you believe it? My carpet is, indeed, a cream color. I still need to do quite a bit of destashing and organizing, but Progress Is Being Made, which is always good. Next week I’m going to clean of my desk, so I can move it out of the room and set up the new desk I bought back in July. Which will make my mom happy, since the box with the desk in it has been taking up space in her fruit room since, you know, July.

Shows I’m loving currently: Leverage, Lark Rise to Candleford, The Mentalist, and NCIS. Last movie I saw in the theatres: Sherlock Holmes, which I adored and which I want to see again. Also rereading the whole HP series, and am on PoA. Love those books.

I am on Twitter and Facebook, if anyone’s interested. Facebook is my real name, Twitter username is same as on Live Journal.

Time for some sunflower seeds, as I’m currently out of guyere.

My defense is at 12:00 on Friday.

I’m starting to freak out.

One hour of the defense is focused on the thesis, and considering how much time I’ve spent thinking about all the issues surround that blasted thing, I’m not too awfully scared about that part.

But the other hour is about my coursework. You know, those classes that I took anywhere from 3-5 years ago? Yeah.

I’ve been trying to review the literature I read, but there’s simply no way to do 3 years worth of courses in two weeks (especially when some of it consists of 1400-page out-of-print novels :P). So I’ll do the best I can, then cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Especially since I want to get my graduation present.

Sorry for the silence. I’ve been SUPER busy. You see. . .

I’ve finished my thesis!

At least, enough to schedule my defense. My chair is satisfied with it, and one of my readers thinks it’s “very good work,” which makes me want to dance, ’cause this is the professor whose class I failed way back when. Whew!

In any case, it now stands at 41 (and a bit) pages and 15,864 words. The defense is tentatively scheduled for November 20, but my chair hasn’t confirmed that he’s available yet. Unfortunately, that date is past the deadline for graduating in December, but as long as I finish everything, including getting the thesis submitted to the library, by December 18, I can still graduate in April without having to take any classes. It doesn’t mattert too much either way for me, since if I were to walk (which I haven’t decided if I’m doing it yet) I wouldn’t do that until April anyway. So it’s just whether my diploma says December or April. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.

I’m almost done. I can’t even tell you how happy this makes me.

Now, to prepare for the defense!

4082 / 5000 words. 82% done!

Unfortunately, I’m apparently not a very good English major, because I must use little words. The above word count only represents 10 1/2 pages. I was hampered by a fairly busy weekend (wedding shower, BYU football game, etc.), and yesterday I didn’t get nearly as much work done as I should have, because I felt a little sick. Turned out I’d put my contacts in the wrong eyes that morning, which had given me a headache, which made me dizzy, and so on, and so forth. So my grand total wasn’t as much as it should have been.

However, Dr. Walker was pleased with what I had gotten done. 10 1/2 pages, after all, is better than no pages at all. We talked about what I planned on doing further (I started in the middle, so I have to go back and write the introduction, lay a foundation, etc.), what sources I planned to bring in, where I needed more commentary, and stuff like that. He wants a full first draft by Oct. 13, two weeks from today. He would have wanted it by next Tuesday, but I’m leaving for Disneyland that day, so that won’t work.

Even though I didn’t fully meet my goal, I’m still really proud of myself. After 5 years of work, I finally have something to show for it. 10 1/2 pages of my own writing, on my thesis topic.

I’ll take it.

0 / 5000 words. 0% done!

I have officially applied for December graduation.

Also talked to my thesis advisor today. He wants 20 pages by Tuesday. That’s approximately 5,000 words. So I stole a NaNoWriMo progress bar.

5,000 words by 2:00 Tuesday. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. . .

(In other news, I got this book delivered to me today. Am going to try the hypnosis CD tonight. We’ll see what happens. Right now, I’ll try ANYTHING to get me to sleep better.)

I’ve been meaning to write a good LJ post for ages now, but I’m so out of the habit it just keeps not getting done. But dude, I’m going to do it. So. Here is an update on my life, broken up into easy-to-read sections. If you’re not interested in certain things, feel free to skip. For that matter, feel free to skip the whole dang thing, ’cause I’ve been gone so long I doubt any of you care any more any way.

Work

Still unemployed. I’ve been applying for the minimum required jobs to collect unemployment benefits (2 per week), but to tell the truth, it’s hard finding even that many jobs to apply for. And since there’s a glut on the market of experienced admin-type people, they’re all asking for oodles more experience than I have, and can choose to be incredibly picky. I’ve only had one legitimate interview request so far (the rest have been for scams and/or telemarketing companies), and while the interview went well, I wasn’t among their top candidates brought in for another interview. It’s okay right now that I’m not having any luck finding work, but it does have me worried that when I do get seriously serious about looking for a job (i.e., when I finish my thesis and/or my unemployment runs out, whichever comes first), there still won’t be anything out there. Most of the previously good sources of jobs are on hiring freezes right now, and who knows how long those will last. Ah, well. C’est la vie.

School

So since I’ve got all this free time on my hands and the absolute drop-dead deadline for my thesis fast approaching, I’ve been concentrating on getting that done. I’ve actually made a bit of progress– still no official first draft yet, but I’m hoping to get it done by the end of the week. I have until Oct. 30 to schedule my defense, and Nov. 13 to actually defend, in order to graduate in December. As an accomplished procrastinator, having an actual deadline is great motivation. I’m also in a much better frame of mind still, and have been able to get work done. Not as much as I would like, and I still am having trouble getting motivated to just sit down and do it, but still. Some progress is better than no progress at all.

Books

When I’m not working on my thesis, I’ve been mostly re-reading old stuff: Georgette Heyer galore, Shannon Hale, Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, Robin McKinley, etc. Oh, and re-reading Harry Potter. Did you know that those books are delightful? And J.K. Rowling is a genius? Yeah, I’d almost forgotten just how wonderful they are. Not quite, but it’s always nice to be reminded. I’ve also read some new stuff, though, especially The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins is EVIL. EVIL, I TELL YOU). Thanks, Pam, for giving me a new literary obsession. I’ve also been trying to *beep* rj_anderson’s Spell Hunter wherever I can. I actually found it on the shelf at the BYU Bookstore the other day, so I was finally able to fulfill my dream of taking it off the shelf, walking to a cashier, and proudly telling them “my friend wrote this!” as I purchased it. Now I have a hardcover that isn’t signed, so I can trash it with multiple rereadings and/or lend it out without worrying too much about it not coming back.

TV

I do manage to watch some TV as well. Right now I’m loving Leverage on TNT (we started watching it because of Timothy Hutton, who we all fell in love with after seeing him as Archie Goodwin in the sadly short-lived A&E Nero Wolfe Mysteries series), which has some wonderfully geek-tastic references in it some times (like when Nate’s stash of fake IDs were all names of actors who had played the Doctor :P), recently guest-starred Wil Wheaton (who they referred to as the Kobyashi Maru!) and is just plain fun. We also discovered Lark Rise to Candleford on our local PBS station, which sadly has only aired the first season so far, and shows no signs of airing the second yet. But who wouldn’t love a BBC costume-drama series? Loving the final season of Monk (He’d better solve Trudy’s murder before the end, goshdarnit!) and excited to get Numb3rs back in the fall. Have also newly discovered NCIS in reruns. Gibbs is the bomb-diggety.

Knitting

Because I am nearly constitutionally incapable of sitting in front of the TV without doing something else at the same time (which is why my laptop gets so much use :P), I’ve also been getting some knitting done, finally. Unfortunately I’ve been a lazy bum when it comes to taking pics, so I can’t show stuff off at the moment, but I’ve recently finished a Dalek for R.J. Anderson, a beautiful lace scarf an equally-beautiful lace beret, a baby blanket for my 9-month-old niece, a baby hat for Jen’s darling girl, and several dishcloths. My queue of projects I want to do is still incredibly long, I have at least 3 started-but-not-completed projects on the needles at this moment, and my yarn stash is starting to get out of hand (as in, I need to think of another storage solution for fitting it AND all my books in my bedroom. It’s not going well). Oh, and did I mention that I’m trying to get a Jane Austen/Regency gown sewn in time for an early-October Disneyland trip? When my queue will shrink I have no idea.

Miscellaneous

In the meantime, my sister decided to go back to school after being let go by my former employer (it’s a long complicated story, but suffice it to say she got the shaft and was treated absolutely terribly by a company she’d given 3 years of loyal service to) and has moved in with her twin in Provo to cut down on commute time, leaving me home alone with the parents. It’s taken a bit of adjustment. My nieces and nephews continue to be the brightest spot in my life– they are all just adorable in their own ways. Anna is 3 now, and is extremely verbal and smart. At the moment she is obsessed with various Disney movies (although Beauty and the Beast is , I think, her favorite, she also loves The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio right now) and can sing a lot of the songs all by herself. Her little sister Molly is 18 months, and is our only brown-eyed grandchild so far. She’s just starting to string more than two words together, loves crocheted/knitted blankets, and has a decided sweet tooth. My nephew Thomas will be 3 in November and is the most adorable little boy EVER. He isn’t as verbal as Anna, speaking mostly in one-word phrases (”juice!” “car!” “broken?”), but he’s a smart little cookie as well. He loves cars and Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine. He’s got the biggest blue eyes and his eyelashes absolutely SLAY me. Abigail is 9 months, and is an absolute cabbage patch doll. She’s chunky and cuddly and kissable and is generally a very happy baby, except when she’s not. She’s crawling and pulling herself up and is loving eating solid food, and does this adorable thing where she scrunches up her face and breathes through her nose at you.

My mom’s going to go back east (Illinois and Wisconsin, mostly) with her parents and sisters this week, so I’ve been helping her can the harvest from our garden and the various other things we do each fall. So far we’ve got frozen corn, canned beans, tomatoes, V8 juice, beets, pears, and peaches. When she gets home we’ve got more peaches, beans, apples, taco sauce, chile sauce, and who knows what else. I love having fresh produce from our garden. While mom’s gone I’ll be chief cook. The menu is spaghetti, fajitas, chicken pot pies, Chicken Azkaban, and probably take-out. One of the days she’s gone will be a football game, and I’m not sure if I’ll pack some sandwiches or if we’ll just buy something there. Gotta consult my dad on that one.

Speaking of football– home opener for BYU is this week. We’re taking on Florida State, who we should be able to beat judging by their last two weeks. I love home football games. Nothing’s quite like sitting in the stadium with 64,000 other insane BYU football fans. *sigh* I love fall.

Still sleeping terribly..

So, that’s my life in a nutshell. I’m really, really going to try to update at least once a week from here on out.

Really.

So, yesterday was the 1-week anniversary of my layoff. I didn’t even remember until I was in bed for the night. It’s been an interesting week.

And I’m doing fine.

No, really. I’m actually quite surprised at how well I’m taking it. I really have been able to look at this whole thing as a gift, rather than as a misfortune. Of course, who knows how long this will last– maybe when my savings account starts looking much more meager than it is now. But for now, I’m fine.

Some of it, of course, is because I’m in such a different situation this time around. While the layoff was just as sudden– or even more so, since I got about 20 minutes notice before I clocked out for the last time– I’ve been sort of mentally preparing myself for a while, just in case. I also got 2 weeks of severance pay and all my unused vacation, which I <i>didn’t</i> get last time. My unemployment payment will be higher and extend for a longer period of time, since I worked more last year for more pay. I qualify for COBRA, and also for the federal COBRA subsidy, which means I’m guaranteed my current benefits for at least 18 months for only a little more than what I’m currently paying. I still live at home and have relatively few expenses (a student loan and a credit card payment, and that’s about it), so I’m not too worried about my finances.

And mentally, I’m just in a much better place. I’ve been seeing a therapist for several months now, and have been taking an anti-depressant. And when I attended Teri’s wedding (which was AWESOME, and which I was in the process of writing about when I got laid off and therefore distracted), I spent the weekend either talking about theology and my thesis with Cally and Melanie or writing processes with RJA and Risti, or both, I came home ready to GO on my thesis. No, I haven’t written anything yet– I’m still trying to get my room clean so I have a pleasant place to write– but I’ve got ideas. I’ve got plans. I feel a definite need to make my voice heard on this subject. And now I have all the time I need.

Last time, I was so worried about finding a new job that I still couldn’t write. This time, I’m not going to worry. I’m going to seize the time I’ve been given, this wonderful chance to finish my thesis before time runs out, and run with it. I’ll apply for jobs, of course, but only the minimum needed to keep my unemployment benefits. If I get one, great. If not– it’s okay. It really is.

Not that I don’t miss my job. It was a great job, with great people. Hopefully the powers-that-be who decreed that I had to be let go will come to their senses and realize how much they need me, and I can go back. If not– there’s going to be something around the corner. Maybe even something better. Who knows?

For right now, though, I’m okay where I am. And that’s a wonderful feeling– one I haven’t had in a long, long time.

Today was my one-year anniversary at work.

This afternoon, at 4:40, I got laid off.

Happy anniversary to me.

And I really should have told all you about it sooner, but I’ve been either incredibly busy or incredibly tired, and therefore haven’t had the opportunity. In fact, I should be doing laundry right now, but I decided to tell you instead.

I’ve got a new job.

It was completely unexpected. You see, two Fridays ago, my boss announced to us at staff meeting that, rather than having to lay two of us off, she was cutting all of our hours to 32 per week. Sucky, but better than losing any of our coworkers, or, worse still, losing our jobs. But then on Monday, it all turned around. One of our team members was moving into a newly created position, which, with one other TM going down to part-time, was enough to give us back our hours– if we shuffled responsibilities a bit. The TM that left was a trainer, and sometimes worked irregular hours, so they needed someone fairly flexible to replace her. I was elected. Well, kind of. We split her responsibilities between the other trainer and I (with him taking the more senior role and me taking the more administrative tasks), and the second Admin Assistant in the department moved out to the front desk.

So now, instead of being the receptionist/HR admin assistant, I am now the Training Coordinator. I’m still responsible for the benefits, but I’ll also handle tracking of the various types of training we do, teach new employee orientation, administer training audits, maintain the training manuals, and various other training throughout the theatres. It’s new and exciting and scary, and I feel like I have so much to learn (probably because I DO have a lot to learn, having never done this sort of thing in my life before), but it’s good. I think I’ll quite like it.

Larry H. Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz and my own workplace, Megaplex Theatres, passed away today. He’s been ill for quite some time– in fact, it was only about a month after I started that he went into the hospital with a heart attack and complications to diabetes. Last month, he had both his legs amputated. His son replaced him as CEO at the beginning of his illness, but he still kept his hand in. In fact, I talked to him on the phone just a few weeks ago.

My sympathies go out to the Miller family.

I wonder how this is going to affect my company.